Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social Web

Visible Logic, Inc.

142 High StreetSuite 627

Portland, ME 04101207.761.4230

visiblelogic.com

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Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social Web

Social Media Breakfast

DESIGN ADVANCES SUCCESS

© 2009, Visible Logic, Inc. www.visiblelogic.com




Emily Brackett

Visible Logic, Inc.

www.visiblelogic.com

www.visiblelogic.com/blog

twitter: @VisibleLogic




Social Web

Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social WebSocial Web Sites


Major Social Networking Web Sites & Media

The major web sites and media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn•

Blogging•

Other media

MySpace, YouTube, Plaxo, etc.•

Face-to-face networking•

This presentation focuses on social web and media for business purposes



Facebook

What’s On Your Mind?

Individuals

Set up personal profiles•

You become friends with other people, and it’s reciprocal; •

the other person needs to OK you as a friend

Companies

Set up company pages•

You can become a fan of a company, and it’s more of a one-way street•

Especially relevant for B2C companies, but B2B use is growing•



Twitter

What’s happening?

All accounts are individual

There is only one kind of account with one user name & password•

Because they are individual accounts, there is some sense that tweets are coming from •

an individual, but this is changing

There are services which will allow more than one person to use an account •

(and append initials, for example, at the end)

You can follow as many others as you like, and it’s not automatically reciprocated•



LinkedIn

Network Updates

All individual accounts, very resume-like way of presenting yourself

There are company listings in LinkedIn, but you still only link with the employees•

You are encouraged only to connect with people you know, then the connection is two-way •

The Q&A section is a good way to break out of the resume structure, prove your expertise, connect •

with those outside your sphere

Groups are forum-like spaces, and are also a good way to connect with others•



Blogs

Company sponsored or individual

Blogs can be completely personal, or can have a corporate mandate

Multiple authors can contribute to a company blog and therefore have their own voice and persona•

Commenting on other blogs is an individual activity •




Branding:On- and Off-line

Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social WebCorporate vs. Personal Branding


Corporate PersonalName Business name Your own name

Logo or mark Logo or logotype A personal way of typesetting your name (logotype)

Visual Position Colors, imagery, typography and graphics that are applied to Web sites, marketing materials, packaging, uniforms, corporate identity, also Twitter backgrounds, etc.

Everything under corporate, but also personal look

Voice May be dictated by corporate standards, may be screened by marketing, lawyers, etc

Often dictated by subject and situation

Reputation Reviews Reputation

Business Structure

More than one person (or want to be)

Just one person

Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social WebCorporate vs. Personal Branding


Online Specific Branding Elements

Avatars & Favicons

Have reduced the idea of a “logo” to a small, square icon. •

Used universally as gravatars (global avatar), or case-by-case on different platforms•

Domain Name and Handles

Availability is key when creating new business/product names•

Personal vs. corporate identity of yourself•

Content Rules... so Voice is More Important than Ever

What topics you discuss•

How do you express yourself•




Personal, Corporate or Somewhere In Between?

Personal vs. Corporate Branding on the Social WebCorporate vs. Personal Identities


Corporate Personal

Employee (or more than one), representing the corporate brand

The goals are the business’ goals.

You may have some room to show personal

expertise and personality.

Or, postings may be very impersonal.

Solopreneur, consultant or freelancer

People are hiring you, therefore they want

to know, like and trust you.

Giving a sense of your personality

is generally OK, and probably a benefit.

Disclose personal information

at the level you feel comfortable, because

you to be true to yourself.



Corporate Personal

Hair StylistReal Estate Broker

Financial Planner

Person who owns more than one business

Consultant

Freelancer

Public Speaker

Job Seeker

Small Business OwnerLarge corporation



How to cultivate a corporate brand using social web

To promote “more” than yourself

Register your business name on all major sites•

Use your business name (with or without your own name in addition)•

Use a logo, rather than a photo for an avatar•

Don’t go too far and be too impersonal or stiff



How to promote a personal brand on the social web

If you want to create a strong personal brand

Use a consistent name•

Use a consistent way of representing yourself (avatars and profile images)•

Get a good head shot and use it•

Have a consistent look between web site, business card and social web •

Figure out where to draw the line with non-business-related information•

It takes focus to maintain consistency with a personal brand that is being used for business purposes



How to balance when you’re in the middle?

Use your goals and plans for your business (or your career) as a guide. •

Focus more on where you want to be, rather than where you are now.

Clarify your goals with the social web.•

You can have multiple accounts. •

(ie different names on Twitter; personal profile vs corporate page on Facebook).

On Twitter you can name your account(s) appropriately. (but beware of name length)•



Questions to Ask Yourself

Can my business be bigger than me?•

What type of business structure do I have (sole proprietorship, one-person consulting, multi-person). •

Do I want to sell the business eventually?

How do I want to grow?•

Are clients only hiring me (or paying a premium) because of me?•

How does social media fit into my business or marketing plan?•

What am I doing outside of social media that needs to complement my online brand?•

How are my potential clients using the social web?•




Emily Brackett

Visible Logic, Inc.

www.visiblelogic.com

www.visiblelogic.com/blog

twitter: @VisibleLogic

Facebook: Emily Brackett

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